


Dance in a Storm

by dangerousdaydream



Series: Johnstrade Challenge [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Carnival, First Kiss, M/M, Second Date, inspired by a song, shy!Greg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dangerousdaydream/pseuds/dangerousdaydream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"But that would ruin the surprise." John could hear that silly grin in his voice and it made his heart swell. He was finding all kinds of things about the older man incredibly endearing all of a sudden and it was strange and wonderful at the same time; almost as if he were seeing him in a new light. Maybe he was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dance in a Storm

**Author's Note:**

> The feedback I've gotten from my first fic in this series (which I may rename at a later time) has been incredible and has given me a lot of confidence, so here, this is the second part to it. This one was only partially inspired by a song, another Taylor Swift one called "Fearless", mostly because of the bridge in it. That's all I'm saying though; I don't want to spoil it for you. Haha. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like this part! I kind of went a bit buck-wild and wrote much more than I did the first time. Oops.

Care to join me for dinner after work tonight? GL

The text came in two weeks after one Greg Lestrade had asked John on a cafe lunch date, and on this particular day, John was dealing with an insufferable young woman who thought she knew what she had better than an actual doctor. She wasn't listening to reason, going on and on about this worm in her stomach that made her want to eat more and made her feel drowsy and sick when she wasn't eating. John was trying to tell her that they'd run the bloody tests and she was pregnant, not sick, certainly not playing host to a worm, but she just wouldn't believe it. When he'd left the room to calm himself down (really, why come in if you weren't going to give heed to the diagnosis?), he felt his pocket vibrate. He tried not to groan as he fished it out and looked.

Oh.

A genuine smile, the first all day, lifted the corners of John's lips. He and the Inspector had been talking much more as of late -- random text messages throughout the day complaining about how stupid people were or how they just wanted to be in bed for Christ's sake or even one time about the Army. John had had a lot to say on that topic, and they'd spent nearly two hours on the phone discussing it. But the one subject that, strangely, hadn't been mentioned was actually fading from the forefront of John's mind faster than he ever thought possible -- something he was eternally grateful for.

A short text message was sent in reply, a simple "You read my mind. Angelo's? JW" and then it was back to work. He didn't get a chance to check his phone again until he went on his lunch, but the entire time in between, John felt much lighter than he had all morning. He was able to convince the young woman that she was, in fact, pregnant, but she still had doubts as she left the office. John's patients after that were boring in comparison, mostly infected nails and stomach viruses, which allowed time for his mind to wander.

The topic he focused on had changed from the norm. Before, he reminisced about Sherlock, about what they had, about how the consulting detective had thrown everything away so carelessly that John wondered if he ever truly cared in the first place. Now, the topic was much happier. Now he thought of silver hair, tanned skin, and warm smiles. He thought of murder mysteries and chases and coffee shops near the Yard. He had tried to fight it at first, but after a while it seemed utterly pointless and he gave in.

Today he thought of what he should wear like the nervous schoolboy he was when it came to dating. He found himself wanting to impress Greg, to feel desirable and attractive, because it had been far too long since he had and it was about time he started caring again.

I'd rather not, if you don't mind. Obviously you like Italian, though. I have an idea. I'll fill you in when I pick you up, yeah? How's seven? GL

The message confused John. What did Greg have against Angelo's? Or maybe that just wasn't his plan. Maybe it was completely unrelated to John's initial thought.

Seven is fine. JW

John left his office early, as he had gone through his appointments with ease and nothing else was scheduled for the day. When he got back to his flat, he found a small package and a note waiting in front of his door. Curious, he picked it up and walked inside, closing the door behind him with his foot as he worked his jacket off and hung it up. What was this, then? He hadn't been expecting a package.

He looked at the note first.

"You're going to need these for tonight. -Greg"

What? John smiled as he opened the box and rummaged through the packing peanuts that were hiding a... A pair of binoculars? What on earth? John blinked in confusion and shook his head, figuring it was probably none of the things that immediately came to mind. He placed them on the counter and set off to shower, though his curiosity was building at an alarming rate.

When he stepped out all squeaky clean twenty minutes later, he wrapped a towel around his waist and picked up his phone, hitting the familiar name on his contact list and holding the phone to his ear.

"Lestrade," came a very official, very frustrated-sounding voice after two rings.

John smiled; must have been quite the day for him as well. "It's John," he said, running a hand through his wet hair as he turned to walk out of the bathroom. "Long day?"

"Oh, hey!" Greg said, his tone much lighter. "Sorry about that. Yeah, it's been insane over here. Politician turned up dead and no one can explain it."

John knew what that meant, and his heart sank. "Have you called him yet?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.

"Not yet, no. We have some damage control to do before we call him in." 

Damage control. Good way to describe it. John didn't want to talk about him, though, so he got to the real reason he called. "I had a box waiting for me when I got home," he mentioned casually, his brow raised in suspicion even though he knew the policeman couldn't see him.

"Oh?" Greg asked, his tone nonchalant. He almost sounded innocent. Almost. "What was in it?"

"Binoculars," John answered. "Haven't the foggiest idea as to what it means."

"I'm not going to tell you, if that's why you called. You'll have to see for yourself."

"I was hoping for a hint, actually."

"But that would ruin the surprise." John could hear that silly grin in his voice and it made his heart swell. He was finding all kinds of things about the older man incredibly endearing all of a sudden and it was strange and wonderful at the same time; almost as if he were seeing him in a new light. Maybe he was. "Hey, can I call you back when I'm on my way?"

"Oh, sorry, this was a bad time, wasn't it?" John felt like an idiot. He should have just sent him a text. "Yeah, no problem. Didn't mean to bother you."

"No, don't worry about it. You're never a bother." Why was John blushing a little at that? Good god. "But I do have to go. Give me about an hour, okay?"

"Great. See you then."

The hour passed far too quickly and before John knew it, his phone was ringing again. He'd settled on wearing jeans and his favorite sandy jumper. Simple, but it made John feel confident and he had a feeling he would need that tonight. He picked his phone up off of the counter and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Daisies or tulips?"

"I... I'm sorry?"

"Daisies or tulips?" Greg repeated, his tone teasing now. "It's not a difficult question."

"Lilies, actually," John said, blinking in confusion yet again. "But between those two, I have to say daisies."

"Lilies, huh? Never would've pegged you for a death kind of guy."

John chuckled as he grabbed his keys and hung the binoculars around his neck. "Really? Why do you say that?"

"That's what lilies represent. Death. Of course, given what we do on a daily basis, I guess it shouldn't surprise me."

"I'm a man of mystery, what can I say?" Was John actually flirting with him? Hm. Perhaps.

"So it seems."

John smiled to himself. This man... "Are you on your way, then?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door and John looked over in that direction. He walked towards it and swung it open, revealing a very happy-looking man with four tall lilies in his hand and a smile so wide it made his eyes crinkle. John stared at the flowers and then back up at Greg as he brought his phone down from his ear. "But how did you...?"

"I know you better than you give me credit for," Greg said with a shrug, handing them over to John and promptly stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "Do you like them?"

John did. He smiled fondly and sniffed them, then looked back up at Greg. "I do. Thank you, that... That was sweet."

"I see you have the binoculars." His grin widened, if that were even possible. "Any ideas?"

"None at all," John said as he turned to put his flowers in water. He walked into the kitchen quickly and cut the stems diagonally as his mother had taught him, then placed them in a vase. "I've been trying to figure it out, but I have no clue."

Greg beamed. "Good."

The two set off a few minutes later, John just a little bit behind Greg so he could lead him. The doctor was quiet as he listened to Greg talk about their new case, how infuriating the government could be to work with because they cover everything up and Greg's the one who has to answer to the public, how Mycroft Holmes must have his hands full too and it was just a big ol' mess. John smiled to himself, his hands swinging by his sides as they walked.

Then suddenly Greg stopped in his tracks and turned to John, making the shorter man almost bump into him.

"Woah, what?" John said, staring up at him. "What's wrong?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why would I--"

"Please?" Greg bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder, then back at John. "Just for a minute?"

John sighed, but he was smiling. His eyes slid shut. "You're going to have to lead me."

"Got it." And then hands were on his shoulders and John could almost feel Greg's breath on his neck. He bit his lip as his heart skipped a beat and he allowed himself to be led for what felt like only a few steps before he was stopped. Then the hands disappeared.

"Can I open my eyes now?" he asked, rocking back and forth on his heels. No answer. "Greg?"

"Hold on... Okay, now."

John opened his eyes and a short breath of air fell from his lips. His eyes widened with childlike wonder as he stepped forward and was immersed in the glow of bright, colorful lights. There were thousands of them strung around poles, through the metal machinery that always seemed like a safety hazard to even walk by let alone ride, along the signage that announced the "World's Strangest Man" and the "Magical Mystical Madame Leota". The smell of funnel cakes and corn dogs filled the air.

Greg had taken them to a carnival.

"So that's what the binoculars were for, then," John said with a smile as he turned to face Greg. "We're going on the ferris wheel?"

"Not quite," he said, pulling out two tickets and smiling brightly. "The binoculars are for this." The tickets disappeared into his pocket before John had a chance to see what they were for. "I just thought you would enjoy this, considering the last one you went to was with your sister."

Greg remembered that? John smiled and felt his heart swell for a reason he couldn't quite place. Ah, to hell with it. He stepped on his toes and kissed Greg's cheek quickly, his face turning bright red as he stepped back. "Thank you," he said shyly.

Greg was blushing too, but his smile was big and as bright as the lights all around them. "No problem," he shrugged. "Come on, I want to win you something."

They walked through the small area with the excitement of teenagers. They giggled at the different attractions, wondering who in their right mind would believe any of it was real. John noticed the high swing and pulled Greg onto it, despite both having a fear of heights. Soon they were both high up in the air and John raised his hands as if on a roller coaster, laughing as they spun around and around, not a care in the world. Greg just smiled a very soft, fond smile at the man, his eyes full of something very similar to affection.

"What?" John said as he lowered his hands once the ride had ended. "What's that look for?"

Greg shrugged and lifted the bar over their heads. "Nothing. Just happy, that's all."

So was John. For the first time in... Well, the time didn't quite matter anymore, did it? Truth was Greg made him happy. That was why John could walk and talk and spend hours doing absolutely nothing but that and feel content. That was why John smiled the way he did when they were passing by Madame Leota's booth and Greg slipped his hand into the doctor's. It didn't feel weird or wrong or any of that; quite the opposite, in fact. It felt right, like this is how they should have been all along.

After they were finished there, they headed towards a small Italian restaurant to eat, because neither of them were bold enough to try carnival food. They talked about their families and John learned that Greg had two daughters that his ex-wife didn't let him see anymore, mostly because they lived with their grandmother and Greg had never been good at establishing decent relationships with his in-laws. John was sad to hear that, but then Greg said that he was able to call them every now and then, so it wasn't so bad. 

Then they talked about their childhood dreams, what they wanted to do with their lives, what they fantasized about instead of focusing on school. Greg always longed to be a guitarist and was even in a band in uni, something that made John grin because he could totally see Greg as a metal head.

"I had the leather pants and the spiked up hair and everything," Greg said, shaking his head. "That was an interesting point in my life."

John laughed. "Yeah, you in leather pants sounds pretty interesting."

"Hey, I have nice legs. I do. Leather looks damn good on me."

Oh, John could imagine. He turned red at the thought and peered down at his penne alfredo that he had wanted so badly but for some reason he just wasn't hungry enough to eat it. Maybe it was the damn butterflies in his stomach. Butterflies, at thirty-something. Really.

Greg paid for dinner just as he had lunch, despite John's protest, and they left the restaurant. John's hand found Greg's this time and he smiled up at the man.

"So can I know what these binoculars are for now?"

Greg smiled but didn't say a word, merely looked up into the night sky. Or, at least that's what John had thought, until his gaze followed the older man's and he noticed what he was looking at. His eyes widened. "You didn't..."

"That," Greg said proudly, pulling the tickets from his pocket again. "We're riding that."

"The Eye? Really?" John couldn't believe it. "How'd you...?"

"Doesn't matter. London looks breathtaking from up there. And with the celebrations all over and the carnival and... Well. You'll see."

John could almost kiss Greg for this. He felt giddy with excitement. Of course, that meant half an hour alone with the man with no one else around and, oh, those butterflies went a bit crazy over that thought. He felt his face flush. "I bet it's beautiful," he said as they walked over to the bright young woman with radiant red hair and holes in her ears so large John could fit two fingers through them.

"Two, then?" she asked, hand outstretched for the tickets.

"Yes, thank you." Greg handed them over and smiled at her. John smiled too, mostly because he just couldn't help it when he saw the way the man's eyes twinkled when the smile was genuine. It warmed his heart in a really lame, cliched kind of way, but he didn't care.

"You two are cute," she said as she ripped the tickets and handed the stubs back to them. "Hope you have better luck together than I did with my ex. Prick cheated on me and tossed me aside like I was nothing."

John looked at her and for a moment, he thought of Sherlock and how that was almost exactly what he did. He considered telling her that he understood, but then something clicked and he smiled softly. "You'll find someone better," he said. "I know it hurts now, but... Someone will come along and sweep you off your feet when you least expect it."

"Yeah?" she asked, staring cynically at him. "That kind of stuff doesn't happen in the real world, mate. Best not let yourself believe it."

"Why not? Happened to me." John gently squeezed Greg's hand and smiled up at him for a moment before he looked back at her. "Just give it time."

She looked like she didn't know what to say. She looked between the two of them and smiled after a while. "Maybe. Go on, you two," she chimed as she stopped the ride to let them on. "Have fun."

John smiled his thanks and walked inside, Greg following closely behind. Once the door was closed and they were both seated, Greg pulled John into a hug.

"Did you mean that?" he asked softly.

"Every word."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not."

They sat there for a while, John leaning into Greg and Greg's arms around his torso, watching the buildings get smaller and smaller. Once they were near the top, John gasped and stood up, taking the binoculars from around his neck and looking through them. The colors danced against the dark sky, the lights creating a warm glow over their favorite city. It was absolutely beautiful, for they had the twinkling lights of London below and thousands upon thousands of stars above. The whole scene was mystifying and John found himself at a loss for words.

"I thought you would appreciate this," Greg said from behind him, a gentle hand placed on the small of his back. "I love the view from up here."

John looked up at Greg and ran his tongue over his lips thoughtfully as if mulling something over, then decided to throw caution to the wind. He turned to face him properly and held onto the lapels of his jacket, standing on his toes and pressing his lips against Greg's before he could talk himself out of it.

Greg tensed for only a moment, then his hands were cupping John's face and he was kissing back. It was soft and gentle and full of something like hope. John felt his heart race and his stomach do a weird jitter and his mind go all fuzzy as he kissed him, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was this moment, this incredible moment that couldn't be possible. It just couldn't. It was far too perfect.

When they broke for air, Greg rested his forehead against John's and he smiled happily. "Didn't expect that," he murmured breathlessly.

"I'm a man of mystery, remember?"

Greg's smile grew in response and he kissed him again, this time with an unspoken promise. He wasn't going anywhere, John knew that now. He liked him, actually liked him, and John was pretty sure he liked him too.

He had only thought of Sherlock once that night, and he didn't feel that stabbing pain that he'd grown so accustomed to. In fact, he didn't feel much at all. John knew then that he could finally give himself to someone else. He finally had his heart back together again.

He wondered if Greg would want it.


End file.
